Sarvenaz Soltani Psychology 100 4/11/17 YOGA, ONE OF THE BEST AND NATURAL TREATMENTS FOR DEPRESSION Abstract Depression (Major Depressive disorder) is a very common medical disease that a lot of people suffer from, the symptoms of this illness are feeling extremely sad, alone, worthless, you will have trouble sleeping or you over sleep, not wanting to be involved in any social activities, or any activities, over eating or not wanting to eat, and sometimes even thought of death or suicide, all these symptoms will have a huge negative effect on your daily life including work, school and at home, luckily it is treatable with natural and un-natural treatments. One of the most important causes of depression is caused by stress. Studies have …show more content…
Stress and depression are linked, stress plays the key factor in depression. “When stress is perceived as uncontrollable, behavioral deficits occur, termed “learned helplessness”. In these situations, animals and people no longer attempt to cope with the stressor, even if the stressor becomes controllable.” (Patricia Anne Kinser) How Yoga can incorporate with treating depression is very important, depression has many ways of treatment, but because one of the key elements of depression is stress and Yoga tends to take the stress away, therefor, yoga can be a very effective treatment for depression. “Yoga is an ancient holistic health system that originated in India around 2000 BCE”. (Patricia Anne Kinser) Yoga is a well-accepted practice in the United States and its known for focusing on your mind and body to relax it, meditate it and practice breathing deeply to help your body relax very naturally, positive thinking is also another key element of Yoga. Hatha Yoga is the most common yoga practice which has three elements: physical poses, called asanas; controlled breathing practiced in conjunction with asanas; and it is a discipline of physical, mental and spiritual practices. Another important reason for practicing yoga is that it is also therapeutic for back and neck pain and of course in this case depression. This practice is a common complementary therapy since it doesn’t
Yoga is a comprehensive system of mind/body techniques that is thousands of years old. Its techniques are designed to improve physical and mental health and well being, and include such practices as physical postures and stretching, breathing exercises (pranayama), focused concentration, meditation, visualization, and chanting (mantra) (Desikachar, 1999; van der Kolk, 2014).
Yoga is such a stress reliever for many people who practice it. It's perfect for anyone who is dealing with a ton of stress and anyone who really wants to learn how to stay in control of their emotions and bodies. One of the reasons people love yoga is because of its ability to provide flexibility and alignment for the body. There's also a therapeutic meditation component in most yoga sessions. Attend a family yoga class and get the whole family involved. Facilities like California Family Fitness offer these types of classes.
Muralidoraiswamy, P. “Yoga on Our Minds: A Systematic Review of Yoga for Neuropsychiatric Disorder.” Shirleytelle Frontiers in Psychiatry, Jan. 2013. This article focuses on the physiological aspect of a yoga class. It essentially explains what happens in a person’s brain after going through a hatha yoga class. This study also talks about yoga as a long-term mental health solution, since typically yoga is a life-style. Overall, the study provides a scientific look at more personal experiences.
Yoga is a therapy that deals with getting the individual to relax, this is a family of practices with the same aims as meditation. This encompasses body posture, breath control, diet and lifestyle for the individual. ethics, life-style, body postures, diet, breath control, study and intellectual analysis. The reason that I choose yoga as a form of assisted for in individual with PTSD is that it aims to reduce a person’s and also their muscle tension. This form of therapy that counselors can use to get the individual to focus on theory things other life besides the traumatic event from there past. Yoga involves getting instructions in a technique, this practice can be used in any setting, at a gym or in your home. The techniques for yoga sometimes deals with concentrating attention on the sensations of the breath to develop concentration and
People encounter various challenges in life ranging from diseases, lack of basic essential needs and psychiatric problems among others. This has given rise to various forms of therapies being adopted by specialists whilst offering solutions to depressed individuals. Group therapy has taken a center-stage in the management of depression. Butler et al (2008) in their article titled "Meditation with yoga, group therapy with hypnosis, and psychoeducation for long-term depressed mood: a randomized pilot trial" show that depression and anxiety form part of the well-known conditions named by individuals seeking treatment using therapies and complementary alternatives. Alternative therapies include yoga, qigong, tai chi, mediation, and exercise. They argue that people are increasingly using these therapies. Butler provides information claiming that yoga and exercise are effective therapies with high rates than uncontrolled activities (Butler, et al 2008). The authors also demonstrate that these therapies can be compared to established anxiety treatments and depression treatments such as sertraline, cognitive behavioral therapy, and imipramine.
The term complementary therapy is generally used to indicate therapies and treatments that differ from westernised medicine and that may be used to complement and support it. Patients are increasingly using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies to treat depression. “Antidepressants are very necessary for severe depression, and some people need to remain on them for life. But if your symptoms are at the mild end of the spectrum, it is equally effective to use "non drug" treatments, such as talking therapies, exercise, grounding and mindfulness”. Certain complementary therapies may enhance your life and help you to maintain wellbeing. In general, mindfulness, hypnotherapy, yoga, exercise, relaxation, massage, mirimiri and
Two of the studies found that yoga did not influence the level of depression, while the other three showed a decrease in depression with integration of yoga (citation needed)
Yoga, according to a study by, Jones, is a “4,000-year-old practice” that incorporates spirituality, breathing methods, and meditation that cultivates techniques to decrease stress factors in order to obtain a state of relaxation through emphasizes on the “body, mind and the breath” (2016). According to, the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, approximately 9.5% of U.S. adults (21 million)” have incorporated the used of yoga, whose origins have been rooted in the early history of “Indian philosophy” (2015).
Treating depression with the natural approach isn’t always the most effective way but if your symptoms are not too severe and you are not suicidal or debilitated, then at least give it a try.
Since meditation and breathing techniques can be done at the exact moment stress has occurred , meditation and relaxation plus breathing techniques correlate with decreasing stress around the brain. Common types of neurological side effects of stress are headaches and dizziness, so through different types of meditation techniques, Mind and Body Therapies could help with attention disorders and reducing depression,“...long-term meditation practice is associated with an enhancement of cerebral areas related to attention. From a clinical viewpoint, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has shown efficacy for many psychiatric and physical conditions and also for healthy subjects, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) is mainly efficacious in reducing relapses of depression in patients with three or more episodes”(Chiesa & Serretti, 2010, p. 1239-1252 ). Mindfulness meditation, or paying attention in a specific way, is able to calm the body down, which enhances the body's ability to concentrate creating a better thinking atmosphere, and decreasing depression by calming down the body which decreases a depression relapse. Another type of Mind and Body Therapy is relaxation and breathing techniques that are also used with reducing stress. Other than meditation there are, relaxation and breathing techniques which utilize awareness of breathing rate, rhythm, and volume. Often breathing techniques are used to minimize physiologic responses to stress, possibly by increasing parasympathetic response” (Wahbeh, Elsas, & Oken, 2008, para 2). The breathing techniques are able to create a more calm nature, which is able to decrease the stress that is surrounding the brain. A simple exercise like deep breathing can be done everyday and anytime without having to go to a yoga class, which is why it is so beneficial because it helps at
Hagen, Ingunn, and Usha S. Nayar. "Yoga for Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being: Research Review and Reflections on the Mental Health Potentials of Yoga." Frontiers in Psychiatry. Frontiers Media S.A., 2 Apr. 2014. Web. 01 June 2016
Yoga is a mindful physical practice that brings mindfulness to the body in movement. It also offers other health benefits such as rejuvenating the body by keeping bones, muscles, joints, organs and nerves healthy, flexible and supple.
Nowadays life of people has become quite stressful. To reduce stress people are getting addicted to things like alcohol, tobacco and drugs. People are searching numerous ways to reduce stress. The best way to reduce stress is through meditation and yoga. Meditation and yoga is the complete package through which you can make your life fit, healthy and stress-free. Yoga and meditation when practiced together strengthen the body and mind connection, improving overall fitness and well-being. Both yoga and meditation, when done regularly, has proven to be highly beneficial. Though the practices of yoga and meditation have their roots in ancient cultures, both have become modern day movements.
Stress varies within individuals but can best be described as the mental tension caused by negative emotions resulting from the effects of the environment on an individual (Merriam-Webster 2016). As different surroundings pose different effects, it is essential to note that cause of stress differs in everyone, often making it difficult to identify the coping strategies that are to be used to minimize the wide variety of negative emotions felt. While emotions are often thought as having a cognitive basis, health impairments may manifest from these negative “emotions that can pose a serious threat to a person’s health and well-being” (Houghton, Wu, Godwin, Neck and Manz 2012). Depression in correlation with other physical symptoms can cause devitalizing effects that can increase the risk
Practice Yoga: Yoga allows you to be still in a world consumed with chaos. Whether it is to cure your back pain or to achieve Peace and tranquillity, Yoga is an important step towards a healthy lifestyle. Yoga is unique because it gives both physical and mental health.